This invention relates to refuse collection vehicles. More particularly, this invention relates to refuse collection vehicles which have been segmented into compartments for collecting and keeping separate different categories of refuse including recyclables.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a manual side loader type of refuse collection vehicle.
The disposal of refuse in residential and populated areas is increasingly becoming complicated and challenging as governments and municipalities variously encourage, direct and mandate that recyclable refuse items be separated and segregated from ordinary refuse and that this distinction be necessarily preserved during the collection and disposal steps. Recyclable refuse is rapidly becoming a standard and discrete component of refuse which must be separately collected by refuse operators and their vehicles. Typically, recyclable refuse consists generally of bottles, glass, cans and plastic which are segregated in the household from ordinary refuse and typically placed at curbside in blue boxes or the like.
The collection of refuse, of which the recyclable component now forms a discrete part, requires that the refuse components remain segregated during the collection sequence and equally means that they be separately disposed of as well. One way of achieving this purpose is to designate and use different vehicles for designated refuse. For example, two refuse vehicles would be used to comprehensively collect the refuse previously collected by one vehicle. This may, depending on circumstances, be both inefficient and costly to all concerned with the orderly removal of refuse.
This state of affairs suggests that consideration be given to the use and modification of a single vehicle to enable it to collect, by way of example, two types of refuse comprising recyclables and ordinary refuse which are the components identified herein by way of example.
Generally, refuse is collected at curbside and manually placed by the operator into the hopper section of a side loading type of refuse vehicle. The hopper section includes a hydraulically operated pack blade which compacts and moves the refuse from the hopper section to the rear storage section of the vehicle. Typically, the pack blade is used to push the refuse beneath and underneath a breaker bar at the rear end of the hopper. This horizontal movement of the pack blade in turn also moves the refuse rearwardly and upwardly over the incline or ramp normally associated with a side loader type of vehicle which has a drop frame deck in order to locate the hopper closer to the ground in order to permit the operator to more easily access the hopper with the refuse. Thus, refuse is moved into the rear collection section of the refuse vehicle where the refuse becomes compacted and temporarily stored for delivery to a refuse collection station. Once the vehicle is full, the refuse is transported in the vehicle and emptied by means of typically inclining or raising the vehicle body to cause the refuse to slide out of the rear of the vehicle through a door which has been opened for this purpose.
Thus, in proposing solutions for adapting a refuse vehicle to enable it to collect both types of refuse at the same time, consideration must first be had for the type and configuration of the vehicle being used for refuse collection. For example, for front and rear loading vehicles, different considerations would apply which need not be discussed herein. In the present case, a standard manual side loading vehicle is the subject of the inventive improvements herein made and described. The term manual refers to the fact that the operator of the vehicle manually loads the hopper with the refuse which has been placed at curbside for pick up.
It has been known to create two hopper and refuse storage compartments for a refuse collection vehicle so that both types of refuse may be selectively collected in the designated compartment.
This type of solution also requires that the hopper section of the vehicle be segmented or divided for purposes of selectively receiving a particular type of refuse. One way of achieving this is to segment the pack blade and in effect create two pack blades operating to either side of a fixed portion within the hopper. This solution requires that each pack blade be selectively operated at different times in order to compact the different kinds of refuse. A disadvantage of this method includes the requirement for mechanisms and controls for two pack blades.
Alternatively, the hopper section may be divided by means of a divider attached to the pack blade which moves with it during the compacting sequence. In this configuration, the separated refuse in the hopper sections is compacted simultaneously by means of a single motion of the pack blade. In yet other solutions, the divider is not attached to the pack blade but is fitted and secured within the hopper section by means of securement therein. This, in turn, requires that the pack blade be adapted by means of a cut out to permit the pack blade to travel over the fixed divider while compacting the refuse. This latter method has the disadvantage of weakening the compactor blade. The solution of attaching a moving divider to the pack blade has the disadvantage of having, in a drop frame deck type vehicle application, having the leading edge of the divider come in contact with the ramp or incline associated with the drop frame deck. One way of solving this is to make a collapsible divider which collapses and travels upwardly over the incline or ramp maintaining the separation between refuse. This solution has the disadvantage of requiring a complicated collapsible divider machined and assembled from several parts which is prone to malfunction.
It has also been observed that while the standard, single compartment refuse vehicles, may be readily emptied at the collection station, dividing the body of the vehicle into two compartments in fact binds the compacted refuse within the segmented compartments and makes it difficult for emptying of same.
As well, the segmentation into compartments of refuse collection vehicles also requires that the different types of refuse be emptied at different stations. As such, the use of a single rear door in combination with interior pivoting doors which divide and configure the interior of the refuse body requires that a preset travel path is required for the vehicle on the way to the collection station. This is because the refuse from one side compartment of the vehicle needs to be first emptied at a first location so as to permit the movement of the interior doors to the other side to permit the other compartment side of the vehicle to be emptied at a second location. To the extent that each segmented compartment has its own rear door, difficulties have been encountered in latching and locking the doors as well as opening the doors for the emptying sequence.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi compartment manual side loading refuse vehicle which is useful for segregating, storing, transporting and emptying different categories of refuse including recyclables and which vehicle may be easily converted from a single refuse compartment vehicle.
In the embodiment of the manual side loading refuse vehicle of the present invention a plurality of refuse storage compartments is achieved by dividing the refuse storage area of the vehicle by means of a vertical wall to divide the refuse storage area into side by side compartments. The vertical wall is outwardly and rearwardly tapered on each side to facilitate the egress of refuse when unloading the vehicle. The hopper section of the vehicle includes a pack blade and a slide separator attached to the face of the pack blade which divides the hopper section into a number of compartments equal to the number of compartments into which the refuse storage area has been divided. Each hopper compartment communicates with a refuse storage compartment by means of a passage. The slide separator moves together with the pack blade through a slot in the floor of the hopper section so as to maintain a physical separation between the compartments in the hopper while the pack blade is compacting the refuse and moving such refuse to the refuse storage compartment by means of pushing it through the passage.
Each refuse storage compartment is provided with a rear door which is hinged at the top by means of a slot flange pin hinge assembly which, in combination and co-operation with a hook flange unlatches and opens the rear door in response to a retraction of a hydraulic cylinder. The door is closed and latched by means of an extension of the hydraulic cylinder.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.